I Won! I Won!

Remember my November 18 blog post? That's the one where I told you about the Finders Keepers challenge... how I gave away two of author Kimberly Stuart's books, Stretch Marks while in Sydney, Australia?

Well, guess what... today Kimberly email me to tell me I am a winner!

Kimberly's first email:

"Check out my post, my dear. Let me know when I can drop off your prize. :)

Thanks again! kim"

And Kimberly's P.S. "Where do you want your gift certificate for lunch?"

Check out Kimberly's blog about it. I get chocolate too!

Thank you Aussie mums Ariana and Tanya, for allowing me to interrupt your day, and for posing for photos.

Santa Claus can't do much better than this!

Blizzardy Blog

It's another stay-at-home sort of Monday. Right now it's snowing (again) on top of Sunday night's drizzle. This morning plowed or shoveled sidewalks, driveways, and streets were coated with a layer of ice. Wearing a pair of Yak Trax over boots are the only way to safely get around on foot. Bundled up to endure 16 F (-9 C ) with the wind making it feel like -1 F (-18 C), I managed a 50 minute walk with the dog whose bumbling along on the ice gave me something to giggle about.

Quilt-wise, it's time to deal with "point problems" with the Joseph's Coat Quilt Along. Though Kellie (www.dontlooknow.typepad.com) has an excellent photo tutorial showing how she achieves sharp points, gluing fabric over Floriani Stitch and Wash petal shapes, it's not so easy to do! The first time I arranged my petals, the points looked like this. Yikes! There's a hole!

After scrapping those; sanding down the edges of the petal template; drawing and cutting new Stitch and Wash Floriani pieces; and gluing Floriani to new fabric petals - taking extra, extra care with the points - there was a slight improvement. After I hand-appliqued them just a"scosh" of white background fabric shows, but I think I can still improve upon this.

What I can't abide is my outside points. Terrible! These will be redone.

Suffice it to say, this Quilt Along isn't fun at the moment. I'm so disappointed in myself, a supposedly experienced quilter. I'm eating humble pie. Well... I'll dig in again. Perseverance.

Choosing Joseph's Coat Quilt Along Fabrics

The fun part is all this was choosing fabrics. (Perhaps why we have more fabrics in our stashes than finished quilts to show for those selections!?)

Kim, Michelle, and I met to select help each other settle on fabrics. It was fun and educational! After a couple hours of deliberation here's what we settled on.

These are Kim's. The fabric at the bottom is the inspiration piece.

I thought it was important to consider value in our fabric choices. I've heard it said that quilters, especially new quilters, tend to gravitate to medium value fabrics. Check your own stash to see if it's true! We often neglect to buy fabrics with light, or very dark values.

We helped each other put fabrics in value sequence. When I turned the color photo into a black and white photo, it's easy to see the balance of lights and darks, and to see where fabrics fell out of sequence!

Michelle's fabric choices.

She'd like to paint a light raspberry color on two or three walls in her bedroom. Won't that be yummy?! She'll surely dream about raspberry sherbet!

My own fabric choices were inspired by an intertwined jacaranda and bougainvillea that I photographed while I was in Aus. (Given our weather, being in Aus seems long ago....)

Though each of us has more than the 12 fabrics Kellie suggests, we've agreed that more is better. We won't eliminate anything until we actually try it in a block.

Back to that humble pie, and perseverance to get those points figured out. Eventually, we'll have some gorgeous quilts to show for our efforts.

Stunning Stable Bag

This "Stunning Stable Bag" tote is one I'd admired on Julie's blog, so I was happy to get the pattern while in Australia.

Since I intend to use it for stitcheries and other traveling hand projects, I wanted to make it with colorful fabric.

I was attracted to the pattern because of the way each end draws up...

...and then opens out for a good look at what's inside.

There's no doubt it will hold a lot of stuff! But like Julie, I "struggled with the instructions." Being a pattern-writer myself, if there's one thing I know for sure, pattern instructions must be tested by an objective sew-er.

For the amount charged for this pattern, designers at Village Quilt and Patchwork Shop (Australia) would be smart to re-write these instructions: add omitted information; and replace hand-drawn diagrams with clear computer-generated diagrams.

Poor pattern instructions aside, it's a clever design, and I'm glad I made the effort to complete it.

During a Blizzard

If you've never experienced a blizzard, these clips say all that needs to be said.

See how strong winds can whip snow into drifts. View Dan and his snowblower in action.

Even Hogan (the dog), is smart enough to want to head back home.

Winter with a Vengeance!

If these photos seem a little cloudy, it's because so much snow is falling and blowing. Weather forecasters have upped our snowfall prediction to 15 inches (38 cm). With reduced visibility and Wednesday temps reaching only 14 F (-10 c), it's a full blown blizzard. According to one news agency, 358 Iowa schools have closed, and most evening activities are cancelled. Typically this also means that grocery stores are swamped!

These inside-looking-out photos give you an idea of what it's like.

It's the buzz of snowblowers that's most familiar this time of year. Hubby uses snowblowing as an excuse to be outdoors and enjoy a cigar.

As for me, to heck with staying warm with a hot chocolate! I'm sipping a lemon-lime and bitters! It's a refreshing drink I came to enjoy while in Oz. Now if I can just dredge up recent memories of extreme heat, I'll be really happy.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Winter

Monday morning we awoke to two inches (5 cm) of snow. While this is by no means out-of-the-ordinary for Iowa, it does make Iowans pause and think about the rest of the winter that is sure to come. With a high temperature today of 25 F (-3 C), this snow, and more that is coming, will surely be with us for a long time. And coming, it is!

Streets in West Des Moines, Iowa looked like this by 9:00 a.m.

The cities of West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Des Moines and others, generally do an excellent job of preparing for predicted snow, and maintaining safe streets. Well, as safe as you can get driving on patches of snow and ice.

The people who drive these snowplows often spend long hours, night and day, keeping streets clear for commuters.

So as I followed a snowplow this morning, I was reminded to be patient as it cleared the way and sanded the streets for my safety.

Weather forecasters are now predicting our first blizzard of the winter. It's expected to begin Tuesday, with snowfall of 8-12 inches (20 to 30 cm) by Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, winds are expected to increase to 30-40 miles per hour (48-64 kilometers per hour) which will produce "white out conditions." That means if you're driving anyplace, particularly across rural Iowa, you won't be able to see ahead of you!

I'm resigned to the inevitable, but I'm sure not ready for it. However, when it comes, you'll find me hunkered down indoors, well-supplied for hours of sewing, stitchery and quilting. Food becomes only an afterthought when stay-at-home sewing time is at hand.

(This post is specifically for the enlightenment of quilting friends and followers Down Under. Girlfriends... You have no idea! Stay cool in your pools in Oz!)